Dr. Richard Block
Professor, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Member of the Policy & Economics Council
Council Member Biography
Richard Block, PhD, is a Professor and former Director of the School of Labor and Industrial Relations at Michigan State University, a labor arbitrator and a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators. His research centers on issues related to the relationship between labor relations law and practice, international labor standards, plant level labor relations, and labor relations comparisons among the United States, Canada, and the European Union. He also focuses on the automobile assembly industry. He has written and spoken on labor issues, including automotive and other manufacturing industries in Michigan: output, employment, earnings, and collective bargaining, 1980-2001 and the impact of collective bargaining on competitiveness and employment. Most recently, he was one of 17 persons on the panel of experts consulted by the GAO for its April, 2009 report on the automotive industry. Dr. Block received his PhD in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University. (This is me - Update Profile)
Employment History
- 2001 - 2001
- Visiting Professor, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS & POLITICAL SCIENCE
- 1992 - 1993
- Visiting Professor, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
- 1986 - Unspecified
- Professor, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
- 1985 - 1993
- Director, School of Labor & Industrial Relations, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
- 1980 - 1986
- Associate Professor, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
- 1976 - 1980
- Assistant Professor, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
GLG NewsSM Analyses by Richard Block(?)
Opinions and analyses expressed in GLG News are solely those of the author. See the Terms of Use for details.
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Business and Politics: Comparing The Auto Industry Loan Package and the UAW
December 23, 2008
Bush Aids Detroit, but Hard Choices Wait for Obama | www.nytimes.com
There is a recognition in the White House announcement that GM, Ford, and Chrysler different, and that one set of aid conditions may not fit all three companies. By permitting the companies flexibility in meeting the goals of positive net present value by March 31, 2009 and reducing debt by 2/3 via debt for equity exchange, the White House announcement will permit the companies (and the UAW) to focus on business matters rather than politically imposed conditions that may have no relationship to the short-term business needs of the companies.
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UAW Concessions Unlikely to Address U.S. Auto Industry Problems
November 26, 2008
For UAW, Aid Likely to Come With Strings | online.wsj.com
1. Employment reductions in the U.S. auto assembly industry over the past three years have reduced the UAW-hourly represented workforce by roughly half. As a result, UAW monetary concessions at reasonable levels will not likely contribute substantially to solving the companies' short-rurnfinancial problems. 2. Elimination of employment security provisions are not likely to result in large savings for the companies because of the historically small size of the workforce. 2. The UAW may be required to make additional concessions for political purposes, but substantial savings will need to come from other sources.
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UAW Concessions Unlikely to Address Auto Industry Problems
October 23, 2008
"GM, Chrysler Deal Could Spur UAW Concessions, " Detroit Free Press, October 20, 2008 | www.freep.com
1. Broad-based UAW concessions would not be seen by the UAW as addressing the auto industry's problems. 2. The reductions in hourly employment in the auto industry over the past three years have limited the impact that the UAW has on the auto industry cost structure. 3. The UAW will likely resist reducing the companies' VEBA obligations to be effective on January 1, 2010.
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UAW Spring Strikes - Do They Signal a Change in Strategy?
April 28, 2008
UAW Delays Potential Strike Against GM's Malibu Plant | online.wsj.com
The GM strike at Lansing and the strike warnings at other plants suggest that there is some dissatisfaction about the nationally-negotiated two-tier wage among UAW-represented workers at GM. It is also likely that upcoming union elections in GM local unions are encouraging local leaders to be more aggressive than they might otherwise be. Them two-month-old American Axle strike is due to the reluctance of the UAW to negotiate a contract to American Axle that is similar to the contracts negotiated with Delphi and Dana. The UAW view is that these contracts were negotiated with Delphi and Dana when the firms were in bankruptcy and financial difficulty. They were based on the specific financial circumstances of those companies. The UAW does not believe that American Axle has serious financial problems that warrant concessions. American Axle believes it needs concessions to be competitive.
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The UAW Strike Against GM - Why Did it Happen?
September 26, 2007
Talks Continue in G.M. Strike, New York Times, September 25, 2007 | www.nytimes.com
The unexpected UAW strike against GM is the result of two major factors coming together: (1) the Cerberus purchase of Chrysler; and (2) the Wall Street pressure on the the UAW and GM, Ford, and Chrysler to establish a VEBA for auto company hourly retirees. These two events forced the parties out of their normal negotiating schedule for the standard issues of labor costs and employment security. The Chrysler sale diverted much of the UAW's attention and resources during the spring, when the parties could have been discussing traditional issues. In the summer, intense Wall Street pressure for a VEBA cause the parties to accelerate their negotiations around that issue, again neglecting the traditional issues. The parties simply rant out of time.
Leading institutions connect with Richard Block through GLG
GLG Study Groups with Richard Block(?)
| Study Group Name | No. Members |
|---|---|
| Experts in the Leisure & Lodging Council | 4887 |
| Experts in the Automotive Council | 3422 |
| Tire Experts: Automotive Industry Consultants | 140 |
| Labor Law and Negotiation Experts: Lawyers (US) | 119 |
GLG Live Meetings with Richard Block(?)
Richard Block has not participated in any GLG Live Meetings.
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